


A Waterlogged Pair

by ericsonclan



Series: A Pirate's Life For Me AU [8]
Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Family, First Meetings, Gen, Trust
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:42:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26092066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericsonclan/pseuds/ericsonclan
Summary: The Ericson Pirates come across a mysterious pair on a rowboat. A teenage girl and her small child.
Relationships: AJ | Alvin Jr. & Clementine (Walking Dead), Aasim/Ruby (Walking Dead: Done Running), Clementine/Louis (Walking Dead: Done Running)
Series: A Pirate's Life For Me AU [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1683673
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> (by Laura)

Louis strode the deck of Ol’ Kickass, feeling proud of what he and his crew had accomplished. To think that not long ago he had been hopelessly dreaming of someday running off and making a life all his own… and now he had it! A ship, a crew full of friends, and the promise of adventure every day. Sure, things had been a tad chaotic in those early months, but now that they had a year’s worth of experience under their belts he was sure they could face absolutely anything.

“Man overboard on the starboard side!” Willy called from up in the crow’s nest.

 _Shit, did Brody finally snap and push Mitch overboard?_ Mitch had been getting on Brody’s last nerve lately and she’d been threatening to do just that if he didn’t quit it. Louis ran over with the rest of his crew to determine what exactly was going on. Running a mental checklist, Louis quickly realized that everyone was there. “Willy, what are you talking about? Nobody’s fallen in!”

“It’s not one of us!” Willy called down from on high. “It’s somebody else – looks to be a girl and a kid! They’re just laying there though, like they’re sleeping!”

“That’s not the right terminology, Willy!” Louis scolded. He grabbed a rope and climbed up a few feet to try to get a better idea of what Willy was pointing at. Far off in the distance lay a small brown rowboat. Louis couldn’t see any people from his vantage point, but if Willy was right then they couldn’t just leave them. “Aasim, let’s get this ship headed in their direction! Ruby, prepare for wounded. We won’t know what condition they’re in till we reach them. Everyone, to your stations!”

With that the crew scattered. Violet and Brody climbed up into the rigging to adjust the position of the sails while Mitch and Marlon worked to find rope to lash the boat to the ship once they drew near. Aasim slowly steered the ship to starboard, listening to Willy as he relayed directions. Tenn was below deck helping Ruby prepare supplies for the newcomers and Omar was getting together food and water. 

Louis walked amongst the crew, making sure everything was running smoothly. In the early days he would have needed to jump in every other minute to help someone figure how the sails or rudder or rigging worked, but now he’d daresay that his crew moved like a well-oiled machine.   
As they drew near, they closed the sails and drifted toward their target, preparing to drop anchor as soon as they were close enough to cast lines and draw the boat closer. Violet hopped down to help Louis drop anchor. The two grunted with the effort of pushing the weighty chains off the side of the deck. 

“You sure this is a good idea?” Violet asked, eyeing Louis warily. “We have no idea who we’re about to take onboard. They might not be friendly,”

“True, but if Willy’s right about their condition, I don’t think we’ll find them fighting us upon being taken onboard,” Louis replied. “Besides, it’s not like we could just leave them to die,”  
Violet shook her head but remained silent. Louis was too soft for his own good. At the same time, it was this exact optimism and altruism that had taken her and the other street rats off the street and given them a new life. Perhaps the newcomers deserved just such a chance.

Once the anchor had been dropped the crew all gathered once more on the starboard side of the ship. Marlon and Mitch both cast out weighted lines. They clunked against the inner hull of the rowboat, but no one stirred or raised their heads from the boat. On Louis’ signal they began to draw in their lines, pulling the rowboat closer until they could all see inside. A girl who looked about their age lay sprawled across the base of the rowboat, her arms curled around a child who looked to be little more than five years old. Both were sunburnt from head to toe and neither appeared conscious. Louis hoped they were alive.

Taking the rope Marlon offered him, Louis followed him over the side of the ship and onto the boat. As their feet landed, Louis noticed the girl begin to stir. She tightened her arms around the young boy, utterly determined even in her haggard state. “Please… don’t take him…”

“It’s going to be OK,” Louis reassured her, kneeling beside the pair of castaways. “We’re going to help you. Both of you,”

The girl was too weak to stop Marlon as he took the young boy. Tucking him into the crook of his arm, Marlon used his other hand to begin climbing back up to the ship while the crew assisted, pulling up his rope. Louis observed the girl for a moment. She was light, but not enough for him to carry one-handed. Tying the rope around his waist, he made sure it was secure before kneeling to pick her up.

A cursory glance told him that life had not been kind to her. There was a massive scar covering the lower half of her left arm and a grisly brand farther up it. Her forehead also bore a scar, with various other cuts and bruises littered across her thin frame. She and the child must have been out in the sun for days if her blistered skin and the empty water flask that rolled around the base of the rowboat were any indication. 

“Don’t worry, you’re safe now,” Louis said softly, lifting her in such a way that her head could rest upon his shoulder. He tugged on the rope to let the crew know to start pulling. His feet climbed the side of the ship as everyone worked together to lift the pair. Once onboard, Louis saw that Marlon was already carrying the child below decks. Louis moved to follow, then felt the rope still tugging at his waist. “Umm, a little help?” he asked, turning back to his crew. Brody and Mitch had him loose in a matter of moments. Louis then continued his journey to the first set of sleeping rooms where Ruby was waiting for them. 

“Go ahead and set her down right over there,” Ruby directed, busy with the child. Louis acquiesced, laying the girl down in one of the spare hammocks. She groaned softly as he let go, tossing her head to the side. Louis felt his heart twist in concern. He placed a hand gently against her forehead. He couldn’t tell if the heat came from her time in the sun or a fever.

“Would this help?” 

Louis turned to see Tenn holding a water flask and a cotton rag.

“Thanks, buddy,” Louis took both items from the young boy. Tipping the flask to wet the cloth, Louis handed the water back to Tenn before reaching out to press the fabric to the girl’s forehead. It wasn’t much, but it was all he knew to do for now. He saw Tenn wet a cloth of his own before proceeding to do the same thing to the girl’s arms. Louis smiled fondly at the boy. “You’ve got a real knack for this,”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Tenn protested, though his smile showed he appreciated the compliment. “I just like to help out,” His face grew more serious as he looked back at the girl. “Do you think she’s gonna be OK? They could’ve been stuck on that boat for days, maybe even weeks,”

Louis looked back upon the girl before him. It probably wasn’t appropriate to be struck by her beauty at a time like this, but he couldn’t help but notice how lovely she was even while weather-worn and beaten down. He remembered how her eyes had looked in the moments before she lost consciousness, what fire they held within them. “I think she’ll pull through. She’s a fighter,”  
Suddenly there was a clattering behind them and Ruby let out a shriek. Louis spun around to see her holding her hand in pain, the once-occupied hammock swinging empty before her. “He bit me!” she cried in disbelief. 

All eyes turned to the corner of the room where the small boy crouched in fear, looking almost like a caged animal. His eyes fell upon the girl in the hammock and he ran forward. Grabbing her hand, he began to shake it violently. “Clem! Clem, wake up!”

“What’s going on?” Aasim demanded, bursting through the door. Mitch was right behind him. “We heard a scream,”

“Now everybody, let’s just stay calm,” Louis cautioned, looking from the terrified child to his crewmates. “The little boy freaked out and bit Ruby. Aasim, can you look at her wound, disinfect it if need be?”

“He _bit_ her?” Aasim spat in disbelief. Walking over to Ruby, he gently took her hand in his own. “My God, he broke the skin!”

The child spun back around, watching them warily. He looked as though he wanted to make a run for it, but he wouldn’t leave his companion.

Louis knelt down before him, trying to deescalate the situation. “Hey there, little guy. We’re not here to hurt you, OK? We just want to help,”

“What’s wrong with Clem?” the boy demanded. “Why won’t she wake up?”

“She’s worn out from your time in the rowboat. It seems you guys were stranded there for quite a while. I’m Louis,” Louis placed a hand on his chest in introduction. “Can you tell me your name?”

The boy eyed him with suspicion before answering. “A.J. Alvin Junior,”

“That’s quite the name you’ve got, A.J. Tell you what, are you hungry?”

The boy nodded. 

“Well, Mitch is going to talk to our cook and bring you back something to eat. Right, Mitch?” Louis looked at his crew member for confirmation.

Mitch seemed hesitant to leave but nodded gruffly before exiting the room.

“While we wait for the food, would you like some water?” 

A.J. nodded again.

Louis motioned for Tenn to come closer with the water flask. “This here’s Tenn. He’s been helping take care of your friend Clem to make sure she gets better. It looks like the two of you are pretty close in age. How old are you, A.J.?”

“Six,” A.J. answered tersely. He snatched the flask that Tenn shyly offered him, guzzling down its contents.

“Thirsty I see. That’s understandable,” Louis glanced over at Tenn. “Could you bring us some more water, bud?”

Tenn nodded, quickly leaving the room.

“How’s Ruby doing?”

“She’s still bleeding,”

“I’ll live,” Ruby replied, clearly annoyed at this turn of events. She snatched back her hand as Aasim finished bandaging it before turning to glare at the child. “You know, young man, it’s awful impolite to bite someone who was just trying to help ya,”

A.J.’s eyes fell. He looked at the floor, kicking it sullenly. Louis could tell he regretted his actions.

“Tell you what, A.J. How about we make a promise not to bite anyone who’s helping you, OK? That includes everybody on the ship,”

“I didn’t mean to bite so hard. I just got surprised is all,” A.J. muttered.

“I know, pal. But we’re all friends here and since you’re our friend too that means no more biting,” Louis extended his hand, pinky out. “Pinky promise?”

A.J. looked confused by the gesture.

“You’ve gotta stick out your own pinky too,” Louis explained, waggling his finger.

A.J. stuck out his hand, his puny pinky sticking up. 

Louis gently wrapped his own pinky round the child’s. “Deal. That’s a forever promise now,”

A.J. seemed to have warmed a little to Louis through this interaction. He shrank against the wall though when Mitch entered the room again, holding a bowl of stew in his hand. Willy was right behind him, carrying some dinner rolls.

“It’s OK!” Louis exclaimed, hurrying over to grab the stew and bringing it over to A.J. “We’re all friends, remember? Now go ahead and eat as much as you want. You can stay right here and eat while you watch over Clem,”

A.J. was clearly still afraid, but he took the food, gobbling it down voraciously.

Willy wandered up behind Louis. His eyes were wide as he watched the child.

“Isn’t this exciting, Willy?” Louis tried to keep his tone chipper. “We’ve got a new kid on board! I’m sure you and Tenn will be able to show him all over the ship, even the crow’s nest,”

A.J.’s eyes widened in shock. “You’re allowed in the crow’s nest?”

“Yeah, all the time,” Willy replied, grinning proudly. “I’m our main barrelman! Wanna see?”

A.J. was clearly interested, but his eyes strayed up to the bed where Clem slept. “Maybe later,”

“OK,” Willy shrugged before heading out to go above deck.

A.J. loudly licked the bottom of the bowl before holding it out to Louis. “Seconds?”

“Damn, that was fast!” Louis chuckled. “Seconds it is!”

A.J. tucked away three bowls of soup and four dinner rolls before his hunger was quenched. He then proceeded to empty another flask of water before asking where the bathroom was. Louis had Tenn take him there. A.J. was clearly fascinated by the older boy. As the pair returned, Louis could hear Tenn sharing stories with A.J. of some of the crew’s pirate adventures. The little boy was completely entranced. They were fast friends already.

The other crew members all took turns dropping by, looking at the girl in curiosity and making their introductions with A.J. After a few hours when it became clear that Clem was likely to sleep through the night, A.J. agreed to Willy’s invitation to visit the crow’s nest when the older boy dropped by to visit again. Tenn decided to stay back for now and watch over Clem. Louis could tell that the younger boy appreciated having someone he trusted watching over his friend. Louis thanked Tenn for continuing to work so hard and headed above deck to check in with the crew on their current location and destination.

Violet hopped down from the rigging when she saw Louis, walking over to meet him. “Everything OK down there?”

“Just fine. She’s still out like a light. Tenn is watching over her,”

“She hasn’t woken up yet? No word on who she and the kid are?”

“No, although A.J. seems to be pretty happy here,” Louis observed, seeing him follow Willy’s lead up the mast. “Wherever they’re from, it’s clear they’ve been through hell,”

“It’s good that we found them then,” Violet replied simply. “Hey, do you know where the astrolabe is? Aasim needs it to plot out our course for the night,”

Louis thought for a moment before snapping his fingers. “I left it in my quarters. I’ll grab it now,” With that he spun around, heading to the lower deck once more. He happily fiddled with a button on his coat as he walked down the hallway. It looked like things had worked out after all. They’d had a shaky start to be sure, but-

“Stop right there,”

Louis froze.

Clem was standing before him, awake… and with a shiv to Tenn’s throat. Her eyes were cold as they met Louis’. “Who are you, and where the fuck is A.J.?”


	2. Chapter 2

Clementine’s blade shook slightly as she pressed it against the child’s throat. Her adrenaline was running out. Whoever this young dreadlocked man was who stood before her, she had to convince him she meant business and find where A.J. was before she completely collapsed. She eyed the man suspiciously as he took a cautious step forward.

“A.J. is fine. He’s climbing the crow’s nest with Willy, one of our other kids. You’re Clementine, right? I’m sure your kid will be really excited to see you,”

His words were soft. From the fine cut of his coat and his tricorne, he looked to be some sort of merchant. What sort of a merchant would go out of his way to pick up castaways though? Could this be… a slaver’s ship? Her grip tightened upon the shiv. “Bring him to me. And drop any of your weapons,”

“I could say the same to you,” A voice came from behind her, causing Clementine to spin, her back pressed to the wall as she held the boy by the throat. A young man with a mullet stood in the hallway, a flintlock pistol pointed at her. “You want to see your boy again, you drop that shiv and let Tenn go,” He met her glare evenly. “I’m not fucking around,”

“Marlon!” the dreadlocked boy protested, stepping forward. 

“Just give it a sec, Lou. She’ll know what the best decision is for all of us,”

Clementine looked between the two men before dropping the shiv to the side with a sigh. The young boy who must be Tenn ran out of her reach, hiding behind Marlon. She could see from the look in his eyes that she’d terrified him. He certainly wasn’t a slaver and it wasn’t common practice to have children onboard. What kind of a place was this?

“Marlon, go above decks and ask A.J. to come down,” Louis directed. He stepped between the pair and Clementine protectively as they passed behind him. His eyes softened almost immediately though when they met Clementine’s. “Are you hungry? A.J. ate three whole bowls of stew for supper. I bet you could use some yourself,”

They’d fed him? To what end? A.J. was too smart to be won over so easily. As soon as they brought him-

“Clem!” A.J. barreled down the hallway, practically tackling Clementine to the ground. “You’re up! Ruby said you might not wake up till tomorrow! She’s the ship’s doctor. She’s really nice, even though I bit her. But she says everybody can do crazy stuff when they’re scared…” A.J.’s voice prattled on as Clementine held him close, looking him over for injuries. He was sunburnt from head to toe, but besides that he looked healthier and happier than Clementine had seen him in days. 

“Stew?” A warm bowl of soup had appeared before Clementine, offered by the dreadlocked stranger. A shorter, stockier boy stood behind him wearing a stained apron. He must be the cook.  
Clementine took the bowl in one hand cautiously, her other still wrapped around A.J. Maintaining eye contact with the dreadlocked boy, she took a long sip of the stew. It burned on the way down from her chapped and raw throat but it was delicious. 

The dreadlocked boy smiled warmly at her. “Tasty, right? I’m Louis, by the way. You’ve already met some of my crew. There are more above deck. We’re the Ericson Pirates,”

“Never heard of you,”

Louis shrugged. “Well, we’re pretty new. Only a year on the open seas so far, but we’ve had some pretty great adventures thus far. Just last week we helped break the curse on a burgomaster’s daughter who’d been turned into a sea monster. Turns out she-” he paused, his expression changing to one of concern. “Hey, would you like to lie back down? You’re looking pretty pale,”

“Yeah, c’mon, Clem,” A.J. tugged on her arm, pulling her back into the sleeping quarters she’d exited from minutes ago. “The hammocks here are awesome! Tenn said they have some spares too so we get our pick on which ones we want!”

Clementine sat back upon the hammock where she’d woken up. She could feel now how weak her legs truly were. They felt like jelly underneath her. 

The chef entered the room too, holding out a spoon before her. “It’ll be easier if you eat the stew with this,” he advised. His voice was calm and soothing. Clementine took the spoon wordlessly before once more turning to watch Louis as he hurriedly brought over a few stools.

“One for you, little man,” Louis said, scooting the stool directly behind the boy, “And one for me,” he threw back his coat tails before sitting down upon his own stool and leaning towards Clementine. “So, it seemed like the two of you had been stuck in that rowboat for a while considering the state we found you in. If you don’t mind my asking, who left you like that?”

It had been Clementine’s former crew: the New Frontier pirates. She and A.J. had been tossed out and left for dead after Clementine had pilfered the medicine she thought would be able to heal him from the captain’s quarters. In the end, Clementine had saved A.J.’s life only to endanger it again with no escape in sight. Now that they were on this ship though, that meant they had a second chance. They could escape once they landed at the next port town, starting afresh where no one knew of their past lives. That may not be possible though if these Ericson Pirates learned of her past with such a cutthroat crew.

“Shipwreck,” Clementine lied. “A.J. and I were the only survivors,”

Louis looked her square in the eyes. Had he called her bluff? But the young captain simply nodded. “Clearly it’s a traumatic memory for the both of you. I won’t press you to share any more than you’re comfortable with. Until then…” he spread his arms wide, gesturing around the room, “Feel free to explore as you see fit. Just no shivs, please. I’m not sure if you’ve had any previous run-ins with pirates, but I’m sure you’ll soon find that the Ericson Pirates aren’t cut from the same cloth,” He tugged on the collar of his jacket proudly. “We have a code you see: an oath that we’ll never take a human life unless absolutely necessary. We take that vow very seriously. Our mission in life is to help others and along the way we usually have some pretty grand adventures,” He flashed a dazzling smile Clementine’s way at those words.

Clementine stared at Louis in utter confusion. What kind of a pirate ship was this? Could this seriously be the captain, so young and carefree? Piracy wasn’t about adventure: it was about pillaging, fights at sea, murder. The very thing this young man claimed to be against. 

Louis smiled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. “Guess it sounds crazy at first, huh? Tell you what: get some rest and then this evening you and A.J. can join the crew above deck for supper. Sound good?”

Clementine simply nodded.

“Well, alright then. I’ll leave you two to catch up and see you both later!” With a casual salute, Louis was out the door. Clementine noticed another young man standing outside of it, a sour look on his face. He and Louis began to have a heated discussion, one she could hear only snippets of through the walls.

“-Fucking kidding me?... could’ve killed Tenn!”

“… Just freaked out! … patience… second chance,”

“Crazy!... watch duty,”

“… need to. Don’t… back later,”

Clementine only heard one set of footsteps leaving the hallway. Perhaps the taller boy had decided to stay and stand watch. Not everyone seemed to agree with Louis’ claim that she had free rein to explore the ship. Never mind that for now though. They wouldn’t be able to escape until they reached a port, and from the rocking of the ship’s hull it appeared they were still moving.

“Isn’t it awesome here, Clem?” A.J.’s words had her looking down into his bright little face. The boy was practically beaming. “There are other kids here too! Willy and Tenn are the closest to my   
age, but they’re both a lot taller than me. I think Marlon said he was the oldest. He said he met you in the hall. There’s no grownups here at all, Clem! At least, not the really big grownups, the ones older than you. Tenn said if we wanted he bet we could stay here forever! How cool is that?”

“That is a pretty generous offer, A.J…” Clementine set her bowl aside on the stool Louis had vacated, “But we should still be careful. We don’t know much about these Ericson Pirates yet.”

“Tenn told me pretty much everything. He said he and a bunch of the others used to be street rats in a port town really far away. Then Louis showed up and asked them all to join his crew, just like that! They met the others when they were in jail, except for the cook, Omar. They pretended they were going kid… kid…”

“Kidnap?”

“Yeah! Tenn said they pretended to kidnap him, but then he wanted to stay with them for real because they’re so cool! I bet Captain Louis will ask us to stay too. Tenn said he likes to make friends with everybody cause he was really lonely growing up, but then he stole his dad’s ship and now he’s friends with everybody!”

That explained a lot. The build of the ship hadn’t seemed like a classic pirate vessel, built for speed and for war. So Louis was just a rich boy playing at being a pirate then. An odd life choice, but it worked in Clementine’s favor. He was no threat after all. Some of the other crew members like Marlon and the brown-haired boy seemed more formidable, but Clementine bet if she laid low Louis would keep them at bay long enough for her to plan her getaway. He seemed like the people-pleasing type.

“Can I go back above deck, Clem? Willy was showing me how to use the spyglass to spot things from the crow’s nest, just like how they found us!”

“Not right now, kiddo. I need you here with me. It’ll help me sleep,” Clementine patted the spot next to her on the hammock.

A.J. seemed unhappy to be denied leave, but quickly obeyed, hopping up beside Clementine and crawling into her arms. It took mere minutes for him to fall asleep again. Clearly he was still exhausted from the ordeal they had gone through.

Clementine held her charge close, her own eyes heavy lidded. A.J. completely trusted this crew. In mere hours, they’d taken a boy who never trusted any stranger and had him gushing with excitement about his newfound squadron of friends. Clementine was worried; she thought she’d taught A.J. to be more careful than that. At the same time though, she couldn’t blame his confusion. These Ericson Pirates had her baffled as well. 

What could they want from her and A.J.? Clementine had absolutely nothing to her name besides the clothes on her back and a shiv they had already confiscated. If they wanted laborers, there were certainly better options than a half-dead teenage girl and tiny boy dragged out of the sea. They hadn’t made any attempts to imprison her either besides the guard standing outside her door (a fair response after the stunt she had pulled). She hadn’t been bound by shackles or ropes and Louis hadn’t pressed her any further for her story.

Louis. Perhaps he was the most mysterious of all. By all accounts he was the captain of the ship yet he seemed the gentlest of them all. Was it all a ruse, some sort of elaborate trick? No, something in his eyes told Clementine that everything he’d shared was earnest and true. He didn’t seem to have a dishonest bone in his body. Why in the word would he become a pirate then? His father was clearly a successful merchant if this had been his ship: why leave that comfort and security for a life of danger and hardship?

Clementine wasn’t sure how many questions she’d be able to answer. She had no idea how far they were from shore. Whatever the case, she felt safe enough now to finally let her eyes close once more. It was a strange crew she and A.J. had found themselves taken in by. Still, none of them seemed to be more than she could handle. For once in her life, luck seemed to finally be on her side. Clementine didn’t trust it, but she would take what she could get. Drawing her arms more tightly round A.J., Clementine let herself at last succumb to the heavy pull of sleep.


End file.
